Resistance to Change

During my last year of employment in GSK, I was able to witness a change in upper level management. In GSK, a re-assignment or re-arrangement of managing directors of the different GSK offices in different countries is done every couple or so years.

Several changes were placed in effect by the new managing director. These changes were seen in several aspects of the company. The following are examples of the changes which occurred:

XA few benefits policies were changed
XSeveral employees who were deemed as redundant were forced to resign XRe-organization of work areas
XRe-modeling of the offices and the office landscapes
XRe-organization of employees who were left
XCertain finance, administrative and procurement processes were changed XReview of compensation packages

In short, major changes were occurring in the company. The employees welcomed a majority of the changes because it coincided better with their personal values. For example, there was previously a policy in GSK which prohibited co-employees to marry. If this happened, either the wife, or the husband, had to leave the company. This policy was changed with the new managing director. Employees were happy about the change because to them, the previous policy was not fair.

However, the specific change in the company which forced several employees to resign wasn¡¦t met with enthusiasm by the employees. Because a lot of the employees initially resisted the change, the company extensively provided livelihood workshops for the laid-off employees. Later on, employees started to see the benefits of the change implemented to the company.

The managing director also decided to hold a company-wide conference for GSK Philippines to reinforce the employees¡¦ understanding of the company¡¦s goals. Another purpose of the conference was also to surface issues so that they could be tackled and so that employees could also give...

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The first group is on an organizational level. Many forces inside an organization make it difficult for the organization to change in response to changing conditions in its environment. (George et al, pg 571) One such force is that of power and conflict. The basis for this resistance is if a change within an organization benefits one group, but hurts another, the benefiting...

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Changing an organization is often essential for a company to remain competitive. Failure to change may influence the ability of a company to survive. Yet employees do not always welcome changes in methods. According to a 2007 survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), employee resistance to change is one of the top reasons change efforts fail. In fact, reactions to organizational change may range from resistance to compliance to enthusiastic support of the change, with the latter being the exception rather than the norm.Anonymous. (December 2007). Change management: The HR strategic imperative as a business partner. HR Magazine, 52(12); Huy, Q. N. (1999). Emotional capability, emotional intelligence, and radical change. Academy of Management Review, 24, 325–345.
Active resistanceThe most negative reaction to a proposed change attempt. is the most negative reaction to a proposed change attempt. Those who engage in active resistance may sabotage the change effort and be outspoken objectors to the new procedures. In contrast, passive resistanceBeing disturbed by changes without necessarily voicing these opinions. involves being disturbed by changes without necessarily...